Rotary conveyor converger



OGL 6, 1964 A. SCHMERMUND 3,151,728'

ROTARY CONVEYOR CONVERGER Filed Nov. 5, 1962 United States Patent O 3,151,728 RGTARY CQNVEYOR CGN VLRGER Alfred Schmerinund, 62 Kornerstrasse, Geveisberg, Westphalia, Germany Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 235,329 Claims priority, application Germany Nov. 10, 1961 11 Ciaims. (Ci. 19g-32) The invention relates to a conveyor arrangement for elongated articles and more specifically to a conveyor arrangement for cigarettes, adapted to receive the cigarettes in two rows which are mirror images of each other, for example with tipped ends of the cigarettes in the two rows facing each other, the cigarettes being delivered with all the cigarettes having the same directional orientation.

Filter tipped cigarettes are customarily made in double lengths, that is to say, each two tobacco-containing portions are separated by a single iilter tip of twice the normal length. The filter tip is then cut in two, thus forming two cigarettes which leave the cigarette making machine in separate parallel paths, with the filter tips facing each other. For further handling of the cigarettes, it is necessary that all of the cigarettes have the same directional orientation with regard to the position of their filter tips, and means are, therefore, provided for turning the cigarettes.

Various arrangements have been proposed for securing the required orientation of the cigarettes, all of which have in common the feature that the cigarettes of one of the rows leaving the cigarette making machine are turned through 180 and then deposited on a conveyor onto which the cigarettes of the other row are deposited without being turned.

It is an object of the invention to improve conveyor arrangements for elongated articles in which articles have to be turned.

It is another object of the invention to provide such conveyor arrangements in which stresses n the articles during turning are reduced.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such conveyor arrangements in which the stresses exerted on different articles are equalized.

lt is still another object of the invention to provide such conveyor arrangements which are simple in construction and yet reliable in operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof which is illustrated in the attached drawing and is given by way of example, and in which drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly broken away, of a conveyor arrangement for cigarettes; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the conveyor arrangement of FIG. 1.

The conveyor arrangement comprises two frusto-conical members 1 which are secured to shafts 7 for rotation thereby. The end of each shaft 7 remote from the cone apex carries a bevel gear wheel 9, the bevel wheels 9 meshing together. One of the shafts 7 also carries a bevel gear wheel 10 which meshes with a bevel gear wheel 10' provided on a driving shaft 11, the shaft 11 being rotatable by known driving means, not shown.

Each frusto-conical member 1 is rotatably supported on a. truste-conical bearing member 5 which has a sleeve portion 3 serving as a bearing sleeve for the respective shaft 7. The sleeves 8 are connected rigidly with a frame 8' of the arrangement.

The frusto-conical members 1 have 90 apex angles and are arranged with their axes' intersecting at an angle of 90, the apices of the cones being directed away from each other.

3,151,728 Fatented Oct. 6, 1954 Each of the frusto-conical members 1 has a plurality of regularly spaced trough-like peripheral recesses 2 which extend along rectilinear generatrices of the conical surface. The recesses 2 open into bores 3 which extend through the walls of the members 1 so as to connect the recesses 2 with suction chambers 6 formed in the surface of the bearing members 5. Each suction chamber 6 is connected to a suction line 1S.

The frusto-conical members 1 are arranged at the delivery end of a guide channel formed by a base plate 22 and side walls 23, and are positioned above a conveyor comprising belts 15 and 15 which pass over a roller 16 which is rotatable in the direction of the arrow shown thereon, to cause movement of the belts 15 and 15 in the direction sho-wn by arrows thereon. Roller 16 is secured to a shaft 17. Advantageously, the drive shaft 11 is inclined from the vertical, so as not to impede the conveyor belts 15 and 15'.

Stripping devices 12 and 13 are provided for effecting removal of cigarettes from the recesses 2 in the members 1 and conveying the removed cigarettes to the conveyor belts 15 and 15. The stripping devices are each in the form of pairs of guide rails, one rail of each pair extending into an annular groove 4 which extends around the respective member 1, so as to gently engage the cigarettes in the recesses 2 from underneath. The pairs of guide rails of the stripping devices form chutes for guiding the `stripped-ofiE cigarettes to the conveyor belts 15 and 15. One of the guide rails of each pair which make up the stripping device 12 is connected to a corresponding one of the guide rails of each pair which make up the stripping device 13, by a portion 14 which forms a screen for the cigarettes deposited on the conveyor belts 15 and 15 from the stripping device 13, the screen ensuring that the cigarettes lie on the conveyor vbelts in a single layer.

The arrangement operates as' follows:

Cigarettes 19 fed with their filter tipped ends towards each other, along the base plate 22 from a cigarette making machine are individually received in the recesses 2 of the frusto-conical members 1, the members 1 being rotated in the mutually opposite directions shown by the arrows in FiG. 1. The cigarettes are held in the recesses 2 by suction, due to the connection to the suction chambers 6 effected by the bores 3.

Rotation of the members 1 causes the cigarettes held in the recesses 2 thereof to be moved over a conical transporting path, passing through a position of maximum obliqueness in which the cigarettes are indicated by the reference numeral 20, which corresponds to a rotation of the respective recesses 2, into a position which corresponds to a rotation of the respective recesses 2, this being the position at which the cigarettes are removed from the recesses 2 by the stripping devices 12 and 13.

From a consideration of the relative dispositions of the truste-conical members 1, the base plate 22 over which cigarettes are supplied to the members 1, and the stripping devices 12 and 13, it will be seen that the cigarettes are turned through 90, by movement of the respective recesses 2, or, through 180 considered in terms of rotation of the members 1. The cigarettes are thus fed by the strippinU devices 12 and 13 to the conveyor belts 15 and 15 with their tipped ends all similarly oriented, the cigarettes, when in the properly oriented position on the conveyor belts 15 and 15', being indicated by reference numeral 21.

When the cigarettes 19 are fed to the members 1 in two rows with the tipped ends of the cigarettes of one row touching the tipped ends of the cigarettes of the other row, as is the case in the embodiment shown in the drawings, the outlet regions of the chute-like stripping a@ devices 12 and 13 are spaced apart from each other by a considerable distance. In a modication, instead of a single feed plate 22, a branched feed device for the cigarettes may be provided, so that the cigarettes of the two rows are fed to the frusto-conical members with their tipped ends spaced apart from each other. In this case the frusto-conical members may be so arranged that their axes intersect at the apex end rather than the base end and, accordingly, the stripping devices are arranged close to each other, the directions of rotation of the frusto-conical members being opposite to the directions shown for the members 1 of FIG. 1.

Although the arrangement is primarily intended for the conveying of cigarettes, other elongated articles which require to be oriented with regard to their longitudinal direction may be conveyed by the arrangement.

In the embodiment specifically described, the members 1 are of frusto-conical form. Of course, these members may be of fully conical form if desired.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated, it should be clearly understood that the embodiment has been given by way of example only and that many modifications, additions and omissions are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

l. In and for an arrangement for conveying elongated articles, the combination comprising first means for feeding the articles in two rows, means for turning the articles of said Irows symmetrically through substantially 90 degrees, second means for feeding the articles in a single path extending substantially transversely to the direction of said rows, and means for depositing the articles after turning on said second feeding means.

2. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim l, wherein said second feeding means comprise an endless conveyor belt arrangement.

3. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim l, wherein said turning means comprise means for moving the articles of each row over a path along a conical periphery, the lengths of the conical paths corresponding to substantially 180 degrees of said conical peripheries.

4. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim 3, wherein said moving means comprise a pair of contra-rotatable conical members, each having an apex angle of 90 degrees, the members being arranged with their axes at an angle of substantially 90 degrees I to each other, each of said conical members comprising means for engaging the articles of one of said rows and holding the articles until rotated by said members through substantially degrees of said conical peripheries.

5. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim 4, wherein the apices of said conical members are directed away from each other.

6. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim 4, wherein said engaging means have a plurality of individual formations, each for engaging one of the articles.

7. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim 4, wherein said engaging means are formed by trough-like recesses in said conical members, said recesses extending along rectilinear generatrices of said conical members, means being provided for applying suction to said recesses.

8. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim 7, further comprising two stationary bearing members, each of said conical members being rotatably mounted on one of said bearing members, each bearing member being of conical shape and having in its interior a cavity forming a suction chamber opening onto the outer surface of the respective bearing member, said conical members having bores terminating in said recesses for effecting a communication between said suction chambers and said recesses.

9. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim 4, further comprising stripping devices for removing the articles from said engaging means and depositing the articles on said second feeding means, said stripping devices comprising parts engaging in annular peripheral grooves provided in said conical members.

l0. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined inv claim 9, wherein said engaging means are formed by trough-like recesses in said conical members, said recesses extending along rectilinear generatrices of said conical members, means being provided for applying suction to said recesses, said annular grooves being deeper than said recesses.

11. In a conveying arrangement, the combination as defined in claim 9, further comprising a guide rail for the articles fed by said second feeding means, the latter comprising an endless belt, said guide rail extending parallel to a portion of said endless belt and having bent up ends constituting said parts of the stripping device.

References Cited in the leiof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,988,198 Pinkham Iune 13, 1961 

1. IN AND FOR AN ARRANGEMENT FOR CONVEYING ELONGATED ARTICLES, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING FIRST MEANS FOR FEEDING THE ARTICLES IN TWO ROWS, MEANS FOR TURNING THE ARTICLES OF SAID ROWS SYMMETRICALLY THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY 90 DEGREES, SECOND MEANS FOR FEEDING THE ARTICLES IN A SINGLE PATH EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION 